Harkonen/Power & Agency, 7. Life as a Nun

The nunneries follow an observable daily schedule. Whereas many of my interviewees stressed the happiness they found in monastic life, there still were various difficulties that they encountered in monasticism. The laity, for instance, prefers monks for most rituals, leaving nuns to perform more basic tasks that accumulate merit. From the nuns’ side, this has a very negative consequence vis-à-vis their economic situation: nunneries and individual nuns are supported less than monasteries and monks. Furthermore, the oppressive political situation and restrictions they faced in religious life caused some of my nun informants to flee their motherland.